A 14-year-old boy was arrested by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for shooting his family’s dog multiple times with a BB gun and posting a video of the incident on Snapchat.
On Monday, an MCSO corporal and a Marion County Animal Services compliance investigator responded to a local residence in reference to a report of animal cruelty. The corporal had received an anonymous complaint stating that a 14-year-old boy had shot a dog with a BB gun, and a video of the incident had been posted on the teen’s Snapchat account.
Upon arrival at the home, the corporal and investigator made contact with one of the teen’s guardians who allowed them to examine the dogs at the residence. According to MCSO, a female mixed-breed dog named “Autumn” appeared to be the dog shown in the video, and two embedded BBs were felt under the dog’s skin.
The corporal made contact with the juvenile suspect. After being read his Miranda rights, the teen and his guardian consented to an interview. MCSO stated that the teen admitted to shooting Autumn with the BB gun while the dog was “just sitting on the porch and not showing any aggression.”
According to MCSO, Autumn was released to Animal Services and was taken to UF Pet Emergency Treatment Services in Ocala for an examination. A veterinarian informed the sheriff’s office that a total of four BBs were embedded in Autumn’s skin, and the veterinarian further determined that the dog had experienced “excessive infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering as a result of being shot.”
The juvenile suspect was arrested, transported to Marion County Jail, processed, and he was later released to his father. He is being charged with aggravated animal cruelty, which is a felony offense.